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Tales Post 8
Continuing from Tales Post 7, Tales Post 8 sees Ameryl Hypericum and Reimi Soulstar in the company of Space Orca of The Imperium aboard his vessel The Space Orca. The ship itself is actually a living space whale, which impresses Reimi a little too much, and Space Orca shows them his hunting trophies - Pokémon that he has a personal hatred for. He is surprised to find them on the planet Deidos as he had just had it rendered in flames to destroy a plague that threatened to spread through the galaxy. He reveals that the plague was actually an infestation of terrible creatures called Darke Spawn that could freeze time and slaughter entire populated worlds quickly. He allows them to go free and the pair eventually go their separate ways. While Reimi seeks out a new flotilla of ships to live amongst, Ameryl decides she wants to experience civilised society again. She finds herself within a human civilisation on the beautiful world of Algernon. Post The Story of Ameryl The Plague Continues from Tales Post 7. ''Ameryl'''' feels her magical shield vaporise, drained away by some unseen force. She panics, expecting to be burnt alive along with the melting landscape around her.'' Instead she her breath drawn from her lungs and, an instant later she gasps a whole new breath of air aboard a strange, alien vessel. She gawks at her change in surroundings and figures she was involuntarily beamed aboard. They must have dissolved her shield in order to lock on and transport her. To her side, Reimi Soulstar he gasping with a great deal of enthusiasm. He'll be demanding compensation with the hyperbole he's putting on. Beamed up from a destroyed world and it wasn't your fault? Reimi might have solicitors on speed dial. She observes the room. The walls, the floor and the ceiling are all white and polished. At first she thinks it looks like bone. As she inspects it closely she realises that it is bone. An ovular door slides open to reveal a corridor also made of bone beyond. A single man walks into the room. He is very tall and has the appearance of a human. Space Orca: "I'm Space Orca. Who the Hell're you two?" Ameryl is taken back by the abrupt nature of the stranger. He's wearing an outfit of leather that's coloured mostly black with areas of white and accents of marine blue. Before Ameryl can begin to negotiate, her friend pipes up; Reimi: "You nearly killed us back there! You have no bloody right to be yanking us through space! If we want to melt our faces off on a burning planet then that's our prerogative!" Ameryl: "Reimi, you're not helping." Space Orca: "Damn right he's not helping. Yo, fuzzball. Shaddap!" Reimi: "Oi! Space whale, you shaddap!" Space Orca: "Huh! Funny you should mention space whales..." He spreads his hands out. Reimi: "Whoa! Seriously?" Reimi rushes to the walls and starts to caress the bone. Reimi: "I take it all back. Thank you for bringing me here." Space Orca: "I guess some people are easily pleased..." Ameryl: "Space Orca. Please explain to us what is happening. Why have we been brought here?" Space Orca: "You first, hotness." Ameryl: "H-Hotness!?" Space Orca: "What were you doing on Deidos. How did you even get there? The Dream Gate should have been sealed." Reimi turns from the walls guiltily. Reimi: "Yeah... might have been my fault there. I might have sort of broke the lock." Both Ameryl and Space Orca glare at Reimi. Reimi: "Hey! It just said there was a plague! And that's always a lie just to keep tourists from the really interesting stuff going on!" Ameryl: "... like burning planets." Reimi: "Exactly! See? What plague!" Space Orca: "There was a plague alright. Burnt it with fire." Ameryl: "You... burnt the whole planet for a plague!?" Space Orca: "I'm not talking about the sniffles here. Actually it's more of an infestation. Come on. You're stuck on my ship now, you may as well tag along and see what you've gotten yourself into." Ameryl and Reimi follow after him. Ameryl: "You let all of your captives wander your ship?" Space Orca shrugs. Space Orca: "Probably more often than not, yeah. But I can tell you're no ordinary wanderer, right? You have this air about you. The way you carry yourself. You were definitely born with a stick up your ass." Ameryl: "I beg your pardon!?" Space Orca: "Yo, fuzzball, stop humping my walls." Reimi: "I'm not h-- okay, I'll stop." They pass into a wide corridor which is lined with alcoves every few metres. In each alcove is a mounted dead animal, each in its own natural pose. One is a massive, blue, turtle-like creature with cannons on its shell. The tag reads 'BlastoiseBlastoise (Pokémon) article, Bulbapedia.. Another is even bigger, this one looking like a gigantic, blue, Chinese dragon with fins. The tag reads 'Gyarados''Gyarados (Pokémon) article, Bulbapedia..'' Ameryl: "There are a lot of creatures here. Why do you keep these trophies?" Space Orca: "They're called PokémonPokémon (species) article, Bulbapedia.. I've declared a personal vendetta against the beasts for many years. I tell you, some of them have been a real struggle to hunt and kill. This one for example--" They stop and he points to a small, yellow mouse-like creature with bright red cheeks and lightning bolt tail. Ameryl: "PikachuPikachu article, Bulbapedia.? It looks harmless..." Space Orca: "That is the most wicked creature in the cosmos." Ameryl: "Right..." Ameryl feels he may be missing a few marbles in his noggin. She follows him the rest of the way, Reimi trailing behind as he become enraptured with the smallest of details on the way. The consoles for the ship are used by touching anywhere on the bone wall, causing a screen to appear under the fingers. Reimi starts to make dozens of consoles appear on the wall all at once just to see what would happen. There a faint breathing wind that blows steadily forwards and backwards down the long corridors. The lighting is quite dim but brightened by the bright white walls. The corridors themselves are cylindrical tunnels, but given a solid metal floor for people to walk on. Only when entering the rooms have specific shapes been carved into the bone. The space whale that they are inside of is largely comprised of solid bone, with its organs being hidden within bone cases elsewhere in its solidified body. They enter a wide room with a low ceiling and Space Orca brings up a holographic projection. The image appears solid enough that it might have been real. Reimi: "That is a very ugly Pokémon..." Space Orca: "I wish that was a Pokémon. At least Pokémon have the decency to be animals. These things are a plague on the galaxy. Or universe. Who bloody knows?" The creature is much taller than the three of them, even Space Orca who towers over Ameryl, and has a long, thin body that ends with a long tail that sways and then snaps suddenly to the side. Its long head bares a maw filled with sharp teeth and two elongated fangs that drip with saliva. Two bat-like wings are spread from its back, the tips poking through the ceiling as it is just a little too low to accommodate the projection. Its skin looks like wet leather and its claws are like blades. Truly it is something made of nightmares. Space Orca: "As horrific as it looks it's even more dangerous than you might know. These bad boys, which we've been calling Darke Spawn, can actually freeze time within their vicinity. They can then take you apart, piece by piece, while you stand there helpless to stop it. When they release time, you're already dead and eaten." Ameryl: "Th-that's awful!" Space Orca: "Yeah it is. Nasty blighters. They appeared on Deidros. We tried to contain the situation but more and more of them kept appearing all over the damn planet. Before we knew it the whole world was infested. We spent several days evacuating as many people as we could before... well, before we rained down hells fire on the whole damn planet." Ameryl: "You destroyed the whole world because of this?" Space Orca: "Had to. If we left it, the Darke Spawn would have gotten off world eventually and infected more planets. We destroyed Deidros for the sake of the galaxy." Reimi: "You couldn't have gotten everyone off the planet before you..." Ameryl: "Those poor people." Space Orca: "No choice. They died so that many, many more could live. We were just done and checking out our handiwork when you pair appeared. Can't believe the Dream Gate was still standing. I suppose they are made of orichalcum. Still, colour me surprised. Someone should already have locked the gate again." He points accusingly at Reimi Soulstar. Space Orca: "Hack Imperium gates like that again, fuzzball, and I'll have your hide mounted with my Pokémon." Reimi: "Call me fuzzball one more time and I'll go around making it my personal mission to hack every Dream Gate in the Multiverse." Ameryl: "Stop. I'm getting a headache listening to you two already." She turns to Space Orca. Ameryl: "You have your answer now, Space Orca. You should let us go." Space Orca: "Sorry, hotness, you've seen too much. I can't let you leave this ship... alive." Ameryl takes a step back from Space Orca, ready to start casting spells of defence. The man then snorts through his large nose. Space Orca: "Haha! Just winding you up, short stuff. You're free to go once someone does a background check on you both. Make sure you're not wanted terrorists or anything. You're not are you?" Ameryl: "No." Reimi: "Does blowing up a McDonaldsMcDonald's article, Wikipedia. count?" Space Orca: "Why would you blow up McDonalds?" Reimi: "They refused to serve me breakfast." Space Orca: "Then they deserved it. Free pass in my book." Reimi was eventually given a ship and permitted to fly off wherever he wanted to go. He decided he would seek out a flotilla in this universe to join and Ameryl was about to join him when she decided she wanted to move away from flotilla life and try something else. Though she had enjoyed the experience, she finds herself missing the luxurious lifestyle that she was once used to. Though living a life of splendour would certainly be counterproductive to seeking out a life free of material effects, she believes that enjoyment of her existence does not mean foregoing the more pleasurable experiences that a bodily existence offers. It is not abstinence that her religion requires, it is freedom from reliance that is necessary. She first found herself within human controlled worlds under a faction named the Galactic Empire of the Milky Way. She admires and respects the foundations of this empire, its integrity and devotion to order are qualities she came to admire. However she found herself slipping over the border of their space into their rival faction's space and continued her voyage of discovery. This group, the rebellion or sometimes the 'alliance', were less to her tastes. They seemed to be hell bent on being a republic, a system of governance where people sit around all day and argue without getting anything done. Unorganised and passionate, the rebellion seems to be a complete shambles. Yet even here there are places of beauty and serenity. She eventually discovers the planet Algernon, which had long stood as an independent planet against both the empire and the rebellion until it eventually sided with the rebellion to maintain its autonomy when under threat from the empire. She spends a few days on the planet, spending her time within the high-class parts of society that are quick to accept her thanks to her former nobility. A planet obsessed with rank and royal bloodlines is most keen to see exotic queens in exile show up. There she finds a very nice restaurant that quickly becomes her favourite place on the planet thanks to its beautiful, scenic vistas of the wonderful waterfall district... Continues in Pan Post 58. References External References Category:Post Category:Tales Post